Mark as Not Important does the opposite: it tells Gmail a message does not belong in your Important view and feeds that back into its sorting. Press the minus key on anything that was flagged by mistake.
CMDK transforms your Gmail into a keyboard first experience, not just transforming existing Gmail keyboard shortcuts but also adding new ones for you to be 2x faster at email. CMDK also adds a command bar, natural language snooze, split inbox with Tabs, one-click email nuke, and easy account switching tools. It reduces your reliance on the mouse, getting you into a state of flow as you use Gmail everyday.
Mark as not important Gmail Shortcut Tutorial
To use the Gmail shortcut “Mark as not important,” follow these steps:
Step 1: Open your Gmail account in a web browser.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the Gmail homepage and select “See all settings” from the dropdown menu.
Step 3: In the Settings menu, click on the “Advanced” tab.
Step 4: Scroll down to the “Keyboard shortcuts” section and make sure the “Keyboard shortcuts on” option is selected.
Step 5: Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the “Save Changes” button to enable keyboard shortcuts in Gmail.
Step 6: Go back to your Gmail inbox and view an email you want to mark as not important.
Step 7: Press the letter “!” on your keyboard while the email is selected to mark it as not important.
Alternatively, you can use the mouse to click on the three vertical dots next to the email and choose “Mark as not important” from the dropdown menu.
If turning Gmail’s shortcuts on by hand feels fiddly, the CMDK extension switches them on for you the moment you install it, so Mark as Not Important works right away with no setup.
Why stop at one shortcut?
If Mark as Not Important already saves you time, a full keyboard workflow will save you a lot more. CMDK layers more than 80 shortcuts onto Gmail, plus a command bar, plain-English snooze, a split inbox, sender nuke, and fast account switching, all without leaving the keyboard. Try CMDK and feel the difference on day one.
Related Gmail keyboard shortcuts
CMDK adds these and 80+ more shortcuts to Gmail, along with a command bar and natural-language snooze. See how CMDK works or check CMDK pricing.